The Sámi Parliament’s view on wind power in Sápmi Sametingets syn på vindkraft i Sápmi

The Sámi is an indigenous population that historically lives in an area that covers parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. This area is called Sápmi. In Sweden, the Sámi are recognised as a national minority and have their own parliament that concurrently functions as a government agency and an elected body whose mission is to promote vibrant Sámi culture and livelihoods. In response to the national government’s plans to develop wind power in Sápmi, the parliament adopted a position paper in 2009. The Sámi Parliament is critical of large-scale wind power development in Sápmi and stresses the need to reduce energy overall energy consumption, to localize energy production to where it is in demand, and to respect environmental values and Sámi rights, needs, and livelihoods (e.g., reindeer husbandry) in the development process. Furthermore, the Sámi Parliament advocates for a bigger role in the decision-making processes and in-depth impact assessments that take socioeconomic perspectives into consideration. The development of energy infrastructure in Sápmi territory has a historical legacy; during the 1900s, when large-scale hydropower was developed in Sweden, the interests and views of the Sami were not taken into consideration.